This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Advances in the petroleum industry have allowed access to oil and gas drilling locations and reservoirs that were previously inaccessible due to technological limitations. For example, technological advances have allowed drilling of offshore wells at increasing water depths and in increasingly harsh environments, permitting oil and gas resource owners to successfully drill for otherwise inaccessible energy resources. However, offshore drilling and production facilities (e.g., offshore platforms) may encounter problems not found with land based drilling and production facilities.
For example, when operating in water, lateral positioning techniques and systems (e.g., thrusters or similar devices) may be utilized to counteract lateral movement caused by currents, waves, and the like. Additionally, stability of the offshore platforms is to be maintained. One technique for maintaining the stability of an offshore platform is to design the platform to have a sufficient waterplane area (e.g., an enclosed area of the facility hull at the waterline) to allow for stability of the offshore platform. However, while increasing the waterplane area of an offshore platform may increase its stability (e.g., its ability to resist sway (lateral/side-to-side motion) and surge (longitudinal/front-and-back motion) imparted by maritime conditions), increasing the waterplane area of the offshore platform may also increase its susceptibility to heave (e.g., vertical/up-and-down motion).